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Chinese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "embarrassed" in Chinese?
尴尬
gān gà
In Chinese, "embarrassed" is 尴尬 (gān gà).
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Pronunciation
gān gà comes out with "gān" held flat and high (first tone), then "gà" snapped down sharply (fourth tone).
Writing and usage
尴尬 is written using hanzi. It's a adjective, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.
Example sentence
她对这次误会感到尴尬。
tā duì zhè cì wù huì gǎn dào gān gà 。
She was embarrassed by the mix-up.
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How to remember 尴尬
Link the syllable "gahn gah" to a quick mental flash of embarrassed, and "gān gà" will stick as embarrassed.
Related words
Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.
Questions about 尴尬
How do you pronounce 尴尬?
gān gà comes out with "gān" held flat and high (first tone), then "gà" snapped down sharply (fourth tone).
Is 尴尬 formal or casual?
尴尬 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.
How is 尴尬 used in Chinese?
尴尬 is used the same way as the equivalent English adjective. For example: 她对这次误会感到尴尬。 (She was embarrassed by the mix-up.).
Where can I practice Chinese words for free?
You can play free Chinese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the Chinese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"Embarrassed" in other languages
Curated by Jack Ratcliffe
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